eichter



power belts or ropes, whereby the frames and material can be moved from place to place, as set forth.

2. The combination of the tension-frames B B, connecting-rods c, and adjustable connecting-rods c c with the carriages (l C and the sliding ways D D, as set forth.

3. The adjustable straining frames B B, their attached carriages G G, and the sliding ways D D, combined and arranged substantially as described and set forth.

4. The combination of the sliding carriages C 0, ways D D, and traveler-ropes 1 J with the clutch mechanism, consisting of pivoted lever L, counter weight or spring Z, and operating-cordL, substantially as shown and deand described.

PAUL RICHTER. Witnesses:

ALEXANDER LOWRY, A. W. NIBALIUS. i

(:No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

P. RICHTER.

FRAME FOR STRETGHING AND DRYING WINDOW SHADES. N0. 278,184 Patented May 22,1883.

minus es fnventof' N- PETERSY Photo-Lkhogmphlr. Wmhingiom D.C-

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet s. A

P. RICHTER.

I FRAME FOR STRETGHING AND DRYING WINDOW SHADES. No. 278,184. Patented May 22,1883.

Witnesses.- Inventor.-

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N. PETERS. Pnowmhn m her, Wzihingicu. D. C

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFI E.

PAUL. mourns, on NEW YORK, n. Y.

FRAME FOR STRETC HING AND DRYING WINDQW-SHADES SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 278,184, datecl'May 22, 1883.

Application filed DecembcrlllSBEB. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL RICHTER, of the city. county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Frames for Stretching and Drying Window- Shades; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and clear description of the same.

This invention has for its object the construction and operation of movable'frames for stretching and drying window-curtains, so that pieces of paper, cloth, or other curtain materials may be stretched transversely upon movable frames, and while in the stretched condition the paper or fabric so stretched maybe sized or painted upon on both sides or either side, and then, while still stretched, the frame, with the paper, fabric, or curtain upon it, pushed to one side of the room and allowed to stand there while drying. In this manner a room may be filled with frames placed only a few inches apart and having on them drying curtain material, leaving only space enough in the center of the building for working-room.

The invention will be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, of which Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a building fitted with my improved apparatus and sliding frames. Fig. 2 is atransverse sectional elevation of the same.- Fig. 3 is a plan of the building provided with the improved apparatus. Figs. 1 and 5 are details of the sliding carriage and the attaching-clutch for moving the same.

The building A is of such general construction as is suitable for manufacturing purposes. The paper, fabric, or curtain material to be operated upon is fastened by its edges in any suitable manner to two parallel bars, B and B,

.which form the frame for holding the paper while it is being sized, painted, and dried. A number of these frames will be used, so that when one is filled with paper or the curtain material the frame so filled may be pushed on its ways to one side of the building and allowed to remain standing there until it is dry, and another frame pushed up to within a fewinches of it, just so as to let a current of air pass between them. In this manner as many frames with their attached material can be used as will comfortably fill the room, leaving only sufto sliding carriages G and 0, which slide on ways I) and I), attached, respectively, to the bottom side of the floor above and to the top of the floor below. The upper way, D, is a me tallic rail of any suitable shape fixed to the side of a beam, d, which is suspended by suitable straps, d, from the sides of the floor-joists metallic rail similar to the other, and secured to the side of a timber, d fastened to the top of the floor below. The carriages O and O are fitted to and slide upon their respective ways 1) and D, either with or without interposed anti-friction rollers. As the frames and their attachments are very light, the friction will be verylittle, and the use ofrollers, though slightly of the floor above, and the lower way, D, is a beneficial,is not a necessity. Theupper part of frame B is attached'to the upper carriage, G, by means of a single suspension-rod, c, and the lower part of frame B is attached to the lower carriage, O, by means of two adjustingrods,c and 0 with a'straining-nut, 0 coupled, respectively, to the upper and lower ends of the said rods 0 and c by means of right and left hand screw-threads, so that by turning the said nut (3 in one direction the framesBBmay bedrawn apartand the material fastened to the frames stretched as much as required, and by turning the said nuts in the other direction theframes B B may be moved apart. \Vithin moderate limits this adjustment of the frames B B may be used to accommodate material of different widths; but for extreme variations of the widths of goods treated on these frames different lengths of the rods 0 0 0 should be provided. In all cases, however, the straining-nuts (J provide all the requirements for straining or tightening the material on the of the story.

drying position and while they are kept standing in the drying position. This of course supposes the ways D D to be parallel and sufficiently firm to stand the strain upon them.

The mechanism for moving the frames laterally on their ways is of the following construction: A driving-shaft, E, extends along the side of the building for a distance equal to the entire length of the frames B B, or a little more than the length of the said frames. This driving-shaft is driven or rotated by means ofa crank-shalt, F, placed conveniently near the floor for a man standing thereon to turn a crank, and so operate the mechanism hereinafter described. A driving-belt, (preferably a wire rope,) F, extends around the driving-wheelfon the shaft F and around the counter-wheel e on the shaft E, and communicates motion from the former to the latter as the said crank-shaft is rotated.

On the driving-shaft E there are two series of wheels, 0 and 0 The first series of these wheels-via, c-drives a series of vertical belts or wire ropes, Gr, which are crossed, as seen in Fig. 2, and they communicate motion to a series of short counter-shafts, H, at the bottom These short counter-shafts preferably have their bearings secured to the inner faces of two contiguous joists of the lower floor. There are two belt-wheels, h and h on each ofthe counter-shafts H, and the first of these, It, is the driving-wheel,which receives the belt or rope G, while the other wheel, k carries and drives a horizontal rope belt, I, the other wheel of which is on the opposite side of the room, so that the said rope belt I travels in a horizontal plane parallel with the lower floor, and with one of its sections above the said floor and the other section of it below the floor, as shown in Fig. 2. The wheel e on the shaft 'E in like manner drives the horizontal belt J which crosses the top part of the factory-room and passes around the straining-wheel located at the other side of the room. The horizontal belts I and J are placed in pairs, located, respectively, at the bottom and top of the room, as shown in Fig. 2, and

close to thefront faces of the rails or ways D 1), respectively, as is also clearly shown in said Fig.2. These belts or ropes and the mechanism for moving them are such as to cause them to travel in the directions indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2, or in directions opposite those thus indicated-4. 0., when the direction of motion for one arrow is reversed all will be reversed. This causes the strand or side of each horizontal belt which is contiguous to the sliding ways D D, respectively, to move in the same direction.

Each ofthe carriages G0 has afront cl utchplate or similar device, '0 through which the transverse ropes I J respeetivelypass, and these clutch-plates contain devices for graspin g the carrier-ropes I J, so as to attach any set of the said carriages at will to the said carrier-ropes, in order that the carriers may move the said carriages and their attached frames toward or from the side of the room into the different positions required for the drying-frames B B, as already explained.

The clutch consists of a lever, L, pivoted to the clutch-plate, and having its end next the carrier-rope adjusted so as to impinge against the rope when the said lever is moved into the proper position for doing this, as indicated by A spring, I, or a the dotted lines in Fig. 4. suitable'weight attached to orforming a part of the lever L, habitually throws the said lever over, so as prevent its friction end from engaging with the carrier-rope when such contact is not required. The longer end of the lever L has an eye or aloop, to which a small operatingcord, L, is attached for operating or moving the lever into its clutching position. Each of the individual cords L of a series of the levers L belonging to a single frame, B or B, is attached by splicing, or by any suitable means, to a com mon operating-line, L There is to be one of these operating-lines for each frame-bar B and its carriage O, and one of them for each of the frame-bars B and its carriage O. The operating-cords L of a single frame, B B, are conducted over suitable sheaves or rollers, so that the operator, by pulling the two operating-cords of any one frame, will clutch the carriages of that particular frame fast to the carrier-ropes I J, and then, while so clutched fast to the said carrier-ropes, the operator is to turn the crank-shaft F, and thereby move the mechanism E F G H I J, so as to carry or move a whole frame, B B, with its attached curtain material, either to or from the center of the room, as desired. In this way a single frame, with its attached curtain material, is kept con stantly stretched on its frame, and moved from side to side of the room, as required.

There are to be a sufficient number of the ways D D in the length of a room used for this purpose to keep the whole length of the frames B B in a proper state of tension, and there is to be a pair of carriages, O O, with their attaching-rods, to each frame at each pair of the ways D D. The tension-rods c 0 will vary in length, so as to place two contiguous strainingnuts, 0 at different elevations, so as to allow for the frames running close together without the rims of their nuts contacting with each other.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. The herein-described frame and apparatus for stretching and drying curtains and win- (low-shades, which cousists,essentially,in apair of parallel bars, to which the edges of the material are secured, adjustable screw -rods secured to one of'the sides of theframefor straining the same and retaining it in such strained condition, two or more sliding carriages connected to each of the parallel bars forming said frame, and suitable sliding ways therefor, and clutch mechanism connected substantially as described, and adapted to temporarily connect the sliding carriages to suitable traveling set forth.

power belts or ropes, whereby the frames and material can be moved from place to place, as

2. The combination of the tension-frames B B, connecting-rods c, and adjustable connecting-rods c c with the carriages O C and the sliding ways D D, as set forth.

3. The adjustable straining frames B B, their attached carriages O C, and the sliding ways D D, combined and arranged substantially as described and set forth.

4. The combination of the sliding carriages C 0, Ways D D, and traveler-ropes I J with the clutch mechanism, consisting of pivoted 

